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(No Model.) 3 Shets-Sheet 1.

R. D. THAGKSTON. SELF CLOSING HATGHWAY. w

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(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 2.

R. D. THAOKSTON. SELF CLOSING HATGHWAY.

No. 307,688. Patented Nov. 4, 1884.

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RICHARD DABNEY THAOKSTON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO HENRY J. OOE, OF SAME PLACE.

SELF-CLOSING HATCHWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 307,688, dated November 4:, 1884.

Application filed February 12, 1884. (No model.)

T on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD D. Tneons TON, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Self-Closing Hatch ways, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3 3, Fig. 1. View of the upper part of the cage, showing the cams. Fig. 5 is a top view of the cage. Fig. 6 is a side View of an adjustable connecting device; and Fig. 7 is a view of one of the lower corners of the cage, (enlarged) showing the sliding cams, or one of them.

My present invention relates to certain improvementsinself-closinghatchways,hereinafter fully described; and myinvention consists in features of novelty described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the I uprights of an elevator-shaft, B the cage, and

G D the doors. The doors open vertically, as distinguished from horizontally-moving doors. They are hinged to proper supports, as shown in Fig. 3, and they preferably open in differout directions, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and The door 0 covers more and the door 1') less than one-half of the opening, as shown, the door 1) not extending quite to the uprights A, and the door 0 extending past them, so that 3 5 the entire opening is closed. The door 0 should have a slot, 0, for the passage of the hoisting-cable. There isa great practical advantage in not having the doorD extend quite to the uprights-a1 6., the cam I 011 the cage that raises or opens this door can be made much lower and with much less incline or pitch, as

it is not necessary for it to commence to raise the door to avoid the corners J of the uprights or posts of the cage from striking it, these cor- 5 ners of the posts passing up between the door and the uprights A before the cam reaches or opens the door fully. If the door extended over to the uprights A, the cam I would have to be sufliciently high to open the door a con- Fig. 4 is a frontv post on the hinge side of the door came on the level with the door when closed. In fact, the door would have to be almost or quite opened to avoid this contact; but with the door made as shown in Fig. 3, (the other door being eX- 5 tended over to close the opening,) the cam I may be made very low and with a very gentle incline, which is a great accommodation in buildings with low ceilings and in fastrunning elevators. Ii represents the cam on. the cage for opening the door 0 in the ascent of the cage. As the door 0 is opened directly away from the uprights A, there is no danger of the upper ends of the posts of the cage striking it. In the descent of the cage the doors are opened by cams M on the bottom of the cage coming against arms N, hinged or pivoted to posts 0 or other suitable supports, and their outer ends connected to the doors by ropes, cords, or chains 1, passing over pulleys Q, secured to suitable supports. The cams M consist of strips with antiafriction rollers M journaled in their lower ends and secured to the cage by screws or bolts M fitting in a slot, M. (See Fig. 7.) Extending inward from each strip is a projection, M, on which is a post, M, surrounded by a spiral spring, M. The spring acts to hold the cam in its lower position until it comes against its arm N, and then it (the cam) is allowed to yield slightly, producing a cushioning effect. The arms N are preferably \l-shaped and slightly curved, as shown in Fig. 2. The anti-friction rollers on the cams M merely bear against one side of the ar1nsthe inner side, of course. The cords, ropes, or chains are secured to the arms by means of swivel-blocks T, with screw-eye bolts T on their outer ends, to which the ropes are con nected, and hooks T on their inner ends, which engage loops on the arms. (See Figs. 2 and 6.) There are preferably two ropes, I, to each door, (see Fig. 2,) and they are con nected to the bolts T by cross-bars T, riveted to the bolts. (See Fig. 6.) The pulleys Q, have two grooves eacl1'--one for each rope-as 9 5 shown in the upper left-hand corner of Fig. 2.

By the swivel-blocks the ropes, cords, or chains can be lengthened or shortened slightly.

siderable distance before the upper end of the 50 To assist in opening the doors, and to prevent them from closing too rapidly, I secure counter-balances U to them by ropes, cords, or chains V, passing over pulleys W, secured to the posts 0. Brackets Y may be secured to the posts to receive the weights U after the doors have a certain inclinationsay an angle of forty-five degrees.

' I claim as my invention- 1. In a self-closing hatchway, the combination of two vertically-opening doors, OD, one door, 0, extending across the path of the cage between and beyond the elevator-uprights, and the other door, D, hinged atone side of the elevator on one side of the cage-uprights, as

and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a selfclosing hatchway, the sliding spring-cam secured to thecage, in combination with an arm hinged to a support, grooved pulzo leys, and door having two cords or chains, one

chain passing from the door over the pulleys to the arm, and the other cord or chain connected to a counterbalance-weight, as set forth.

3. In a selfclosing hatchway, a sliding spring-cam secured to the cage, consisting of a slotted plate connected to the cage by bolts or screws fitting in the slot, a friction-roller journaled in the' lower end of the plate, a projection on the plate, a post on the projection, and a spiral spring surrounding the post, in combination with a V-shaped arm hinged to a suitable support and connected to the door by two ropes, cords, or chainsv passing over double-grooved pulleys, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

RICHARD DABNEY THACKSTON.

I11 presence of- GEO. H. KNIGHT, BENJN. A. KNIGHT. 

